We are proud to present a new Renoise Release. Final versions of our latest release are now available to all registered users at the Renoise Backstage, and everyone else can check out the free demo versions. Everyone is invited to join our forums to discuss the new release.

Full 64-bit Support

Ever since our Linux users got a 64-bit version with Renoise 2.5, we've had a lot of requests for 64-bit support on all three platforms, and now it's ready. Running the 64-bit version, the memory-hungry among you can now take full advantage of the available resources in your machine, allowing you to break the 4 GB barrier.

Plug-in bridge allows 32-bit plug-ins to be used within 64-bit Renoise

Full Rewire 64-bit support

Reworked Pattern Matrix with Slot Aliases

Workflow has been the keyword for most of the 2.8 development cycle. Thanks to the revamped Pattern Matrix and sequencer, it's now easier than ever to arrange your songs. By aliasing individual pattern slots, you can lay out complete tracks in no time. The new sections feature allows you to add structure and overview, while the streamlined sequencer helps to keep your project nice and tidy.

Alias individual pattern slots in the matrix, i.e. treat them like clips

Edit one slot and have changes propagate to all other aliases

Quickly clone or alias slots by dragging their edges

Use section headers to group parts of the song together

Track Groups & Collapsing

Another big workflow improvement is track grouping, which allows you to group related tracks together, and have each group share common effect chains. It's now also possible to collapse tracks and groups, which can do wonders for the overview of large projects.

Group tracks into logical units, collapse them for better overview

Flexible routing of group tracks

Collapsed tracks use minimal space, while still providing a quick overview

Pattern effects in groups will affect all member tracks simultaneously

Automatically collapse all tracks except the one you are focussing on

Color code tracks with adjustable background colors

DSP Effects and Meta Devices

And what would a new Renoise release be without a few new DSP effects?

New DSP Multitap delay for spaced out filtered echo madness

New DSP Repeater for st-st-st-stuttery goodness

New DSP Exciter to make your mixes sparkle

New Meta Mixer allowing blending of modulation signals into one output

Improved EQs with bigger graphs and all values can be automated

Improved Send devices, which can now be individually panned

New and improved crossover filters for the Multi Send device

Sample Editor

The Sample Editor has also got its fair share of workflow improvements.

Ever since our Linux users got a 64-bit version with Renoise 2.5, we've had a lot of requests for 64-bit support on all three platforms, and now it's ready. Running the 64-bit version, the memory-hungry among you can now take full advantage of the available resources in your machine, allowing you to break the 4 GB barrier.

Plug-in bridge allows 32-bit plug-ins to be used within 64-bit Renoise

Full Rewire 64-bit support

Reworked Pattern Matrix with Slot Aliases

Workflow has been the keyword for most of the 2.8 development cycle. Thanks to the revamped Pattern Matrix and sequencer, it's now easier than ever to arrange your songs. By aliasing individual pattern slots, you can lay out complete tracks in no time. The new sections feature allows you to add structure and overview, while the streamlined sequencer helps to keep your project nice and tidy.

Alias individual pattern slots in the matrix, i.e. treat them like clips

Edit one slot and have changes propagate to all other aliases

Quickly clone or alias slots by dragging their edges

Use section headers to group parts of the song together

Track Groups & Collapsing

Another big workflow improvement is track grouping, which allows you to group related tracks together, and have each group share common effect chains. It's now also possible to collapse tracks and groups, which can do wonders for the overview of large projects.

Group tracks into logical units, collapse them for better overview

Flexible routing of group tracks

Collapsed tracks use minimal space, while still providing a quick overview

Pattern effects in groups will affect all member tracks simultaneously

Automatically collapse all tracks except the one you are focussing on

Color code tracks with adjustable background colors

DSP Effects and Meta Devices

And what would a new Renoise release be without a few new DSP effects?

New DSP Multitap delay for spaced out filtered echo madness

New DSP Repeater for st-st-st-stuttery goodness

New DSP Exciter to make your mixes sparkle

New Meta Mixer allowing blending of modulation signals into one output

Improved EQs with bigger graphs and all values can be automated

Improved Send devices, which can now be individually panned

New and improved crossover filters for the Multi Send device

Sample Editor

The Sample Editor has also got its fair share of workflow improvements.

Back To Beats. Renoise 2.7 transitions from the developer-heavy focus of the previous release to more musical concerns such as Sampling, Instruments, Automation, and Native DSPs.

Instrument Redesign and Sample Keyzones

Renoise's internal instruments have been re-engineered. The focal point is a new keyzone editor that supports overlapping, velocity, and key release mappings. The Sample Keyzones editor brings with it user interface refinements, improved drumkit generation, better tuning options, new sample properties, and loop modes. Live instrumentalists can also tap into new realtime rendering modes and MIDI input routing, making Renoise on a laptop a formidable replacement for your old sampler.

Some new Instrument & Sampler features at a glance:

Sample Keyzones GUI editor per instrument

Map different samples to different velocity ranges

Map samples to key release as well as key press

Stack samples and create overlapping sections

Toggle envelope on/off per keyzone

New Release sample loop option for exiting the loop on key release

MIDI Input can now be routed to individual instruments and tracks

Extended drumkit and keyboard layout generation options

Sample envelopes now have Points mode in addition to Linear and Curve

Autofade setting per sample for quickly fading beginning and end of samples

Select multiple samples and batch edit properties

Overhauled instrument properties GUI, now in lower tab

Sample Slice Markers

New Slice Markers push Renoise's breakbeat insanity one step further. With the click of a button, your break is sliced and keymapped. Amens away! More than just a beatslicer, creatives will soon discover custom offsets and the power of aliases for controlling longer recordings like vocals and soundscapes.

Slice marker features include:

Automatically detect transients in sample and place markers on them

Manually place and edit slice positions in sample editor

Trigger slices from keyboard as if they were regular samples

Trigger slices from pattern 09 commands

Trigger either only slice or remainder of sample from that point

Edit sample properties like loop, volume etc per slice

Automation Improvements

The revamped Automation Editor now provides a zoomable overview of the entire song, as well as vastly improved envelope resolution. Mouse handling has also been simplified, with fewer modifiers and more easily accessible draw mode, selections and context menu.

Automation precision increased to 256 steps per pattern line

Zoom level can be locked to multiples or fractions of whole envelopes

Values can be snapped to grid, lines or beats

Turn off Follow mode to detach edit position from playback position

Left-click and drag to select, drag a selected point to move/scale

New Track DSPs

Internal FX get an injection of winning with a new Comb Filter and a Multiband Send that lets you surgically redirect a single sound source to 3 send tracks. New draggable gain and frequency handles in the native EQs add flavour and finesse to the tools.

New Multiband Send device letting you send different frequency bands to different destinations

New Comb Filter device

Draggable handles for Frequency, Gain and Q for the EQ devices

Devices can now be renamed

Load and Save DSP chains from the device chain and device context menu

DSSI plugins now handle MIDI note events coming from the GUI

DSSI plugin windows always stay on top of Renoise window

Recording & MIDI

MIDI Input can now be routed to individual instruments and tracks

Pre-count metronome option for recording

Live recording MIDI notes/events will no longer create lots of Undo/Redo steps

Back To Beats. Renoise 2.7 transitions from the developer-heavy focus of the previous release to more musical concerns such as Sampling, Instruments, Automation, and Native DSPs.

Instrument Redesign and Sample Keyzones

Renoise's internal instruments have been re-engineered. The focal point is a new keyzone editor that supports overlapping, velocity, and key release mappings. The Sample Keyzones editor brings with it user interface refinements, improved drumkit generation, better tuning options, new sample properties, and loop modes. Live instrumentalists can also tap into new realtime rendering modes and MIDI input routing, making Renoise on a laptop a formidable replacement for your old sampler.

Some new Instrument & Sampler features at a glance:

Sample Keyzones GUI editor per instrument

Map different samples to different velocity ranges

Map samples to key release as well as key press

Stack samples and create overlapping sections

Toggle envelope on/off per keyzone

New Release sample loop option for exiting the loop on key release

MIDI Input can now be routed to individual instruments and tracks

Extended drumkit and keyboard layout generation options

Sample envelopes now have Points mode in addition to Linear and Curve

Autofade setting per sample for quickly fading beginning and end of samples

Select multiple samples and batch edit properties

Overhauled instrument properties GUI, now in lower tab

Sample Slice Markers

New Slice Markers push Renoise's breakbeat insanity one step further. With the click of a button, your break is sliced and keymapped. Amens away! More than just a beatslicer, creatives will soon discover custom offsets and the power of aliases for controlling longer recordings like vocals and soundscapes.

Slice marker features include:

Automatically detect transients in sample and place markers on them

Manually place and edit slice positions in sample editor

Trigger slices from keyboard as if they were regular samples

Trigger slices from pattern 09 commands

Trigger either only slice or remainder of sample from that point

Edit sample properties like loop, volume etc per slice

Automation Improvements

The revamped Automation Editor now provides a zoomable overview of the entire song, as well as vastly improved envelope resolution. Mouse handling has also been simplified, with fewer modifiers and more easily accessible draw mode, selections and context menu.

Automation precision increased to 256 steps per pattern line

Zoom level can be locked to multiples or fractions of whole envelopes

Values can be snapped to grid, lines or beats

Turn off Follow mode to detach edit position from playback position

Left-click and drag to select, drag a selected point to move/scale

New Track DSPs

Internal FX get an injection of winning with a new Comb Filter and a Multiband Send that lets you surgically redirect a single sound source to 3 send tracks. New draggable gain and frequency handles in the native EQs add flavour and finesse to the tools.

New Multiband Send device letting you send different frequency bands to different destinations

New Comb Filter device

Draggable handles for Frequency, Gain and Q for the EQ devices

Devices can now be renamed

Load and Save DSP chains from the device chain and device context menu

DSSI plugins now handle MIDI note events coming from the GUI

DSSI plugin windows always stay on top of Renoise window

Recording & MIDI

MIDI Input can now be routed to individual instruments and tracks

Pre-count metronome option for recording

Live recording MIDI notes/events will no longer create lots of Undo/Redo steps

Custom graphical user interface elements with the look and feel of Renoise itself. Perfectly integrate your tools with Renoise and make them easy to use for others too.

Manipulate the Renoise main window or the song (patterns, tracks, instruments, anything that makes up a song). Generate, filter, or process song data in any way you can think of, e.g. for algorithmic composition, instrument creation, automation etc. The sky is the limit.

Help us create official features by prototyping your ideas, finetune them with the aid of the community and hopefully see them integrated into the core feature set of a future Renoise release.

Fully optional (no need to use it, when you don't need it)

Ability to mute parts of your song, without the need to create new patterns, also useful when playing livesets to develop patterns in real time (create full arrangements or "drafts" from a single pattern with just a few clicks)

Pattern Sequencer shows current playing pattern row in the player queue column. Green when follow mode is off, white when follow mode is on.

New Devices

Hydra device : Control up to nine parameters of other effects using only one input slider.

Keytracking device : Similar to the Velocity device but then ranges for key-note values affect the target parameter.

MIDI CC device got transformed to a MIDI Control device : Pitchbend, Channel Pressure and Program changing are now added parameters (and are now automatable through automation curves).

Fixes

Virus TI : Fixed a bug with the VST timing when the static buffers option is enabled & we've added some VST features which are normally not used. "Access" would fix some timing issues on their side to make our fix work so you also need to download their newest Firmware containing their solution to have a full fix.

Virus TI : Fixed a bug with the VST timing when the static buffers option is enabled & we've added some VST features which are normally not used. "Access" would fix some timing issues on their side to make our fix work so you also need to download their newest Firmware containing their solution to have a full fix.

The development of these changes was split into 3 milestones. Precision, Timing and Plugin improvements.

PDC (Plug-in Delay Compensation)

Full, automatic, sample precise Plugin Delay Compensation (PDC) for Track FX (native and Plugin) and Instruments (aka everything). You simply don't have to care if a VST Plugin or instrument introduces unwanted latency. Renoise will compensate it for you under the hood.

Track Delay

Custom track delays to easily offset MIDI/Audio tracks. For example, laying back a snare can now be done in realtime in the mixer. Same goes for "MIDI tracks" (tracks with MIDI notes).

"Speed" (this tracker compatibility thing which no one understood, but somehow made the pattern scroll faster) is finally gone. Better said, it got replaced by more powerful and easier to use LPB settings (Lines Per Beat - how many lines in the pattern make up a musical beat).

Delay Column :

You can now offset notes and note commands with a gradient of 1/256 line precision (thats a PPQ of 4096 at LPB=16!) via a new "delay column" in the pattern editor. This might be the first time you record something in a tracker and it actually sounds exactly as groovy (or bad) as you played it!

revised Sample FX commands :

Pitch/Volume slides, glides now work independently of the sampler's "tick" rate. For example, 0110 will pitch notes a half-note up, 0101 a sixteenth half-note, etc. Volume/panning slides on volume/panning column now work as if their value was the first digit of the corresponding command column command (f.e.: 0720 = A2) See the tutorials pages for more info about these and other effects.

Also you can smooth/coarse the pitch and volume slidings by increasing/decreasing the Tick-Per-Line value thru the effect F2xx.

fractional BPM :

Added the ability to enter fractional BPM (like 127.56) is the BPM box. Fractional values can only be entered by double clicking the BPM value.

ready for the future :

NoteDelays and LPB are the most important and necessary steps for upcoming big features like Zoomable Patterns, Piano Roll, more accuracy (timing wise) with FX automations, and so on.

IMPORTANT: Not all of the changes are backwards compatible, thus only new songs can make use of all the new features. Old songs can be manually upgraded in the "Song settings" pane, but will probably need manual adjustments...

Audio Unit : (Mac OSX)

Mac OSX: Added support for Audio Unit (AU) Plugins (finally)

Note quantize options

Added note quantize options for realtime recording and Note nudge options in the Advanced Edit pane. There are also new shortcuts for realtime note quantization to quickly quantize after recording.

Full support for Multi Output VSTi (AU)

Multi output VSTis (AUs) are now fully supported. Samplers or Synths with multiple channels can now be routed to individual tracks.

Sending notes to VST (AU) FX

Sending notes to VST (AU) FX is now supported. Simply create a FX alias in the VST Instruments pane to do so (link an instrument to an existing FX).

Note: On Linux, you have to configure your system to allow Renoise to create realtime threads. Usually this is done via PAM. Please see the Linux FAQ for more details on how to configure your system to make use of the improvements & fixes.

Minor Features

Besides the milestones there are plenty of relatively smaller features that are nonetheless very worthwhile.

Netbook Screen Resolution Support: The Renoise window can now be resized to min 990x550 pixels (upper or lower frame is automatically hiding if you use small Netbook screen which is smaller than 700 pixel in height)

Linux :

the ALSA configuration now allows changing the Periods/Buffer

Running Renoise when compiz is running will add a standard WM border around the window to get rid of the remaining problems with compiz

Mixer :

New helpful short names for LFO, Automate, Send and Velocity Devices (showing what they control, etc...)

Automations :

Added a "Show only used Automations" option to the automation list

Pattern Editor :

easier and more accurate mouse click/selection/navigation:

single clicks jump to the pointed position (optional)

middle click mutes / unmutes the track

added key bindings for "delete previous line [in columns/track/pattern]" which behaves like a "backspace" in a text editor

Rendering selections will no longer reduce the rendered volume. If you've set the master volume to 0 dB you can still lower the master volume manually to avoid clipping...

Added separator bars for note columns

More contrast between empty and non-empty data

Removed the "Show Framework" option

Double clicking in the Pattern while Pattern Follow is enabled and the player is playing will no longer jump to new lines

Finetuned the LofiMat (its LofiMat2 now because the changes are not backwards compatible) "Quality" is visualized in Hz now, and will also react more precise than before. Also automating the Dry/Wet amounts should no longer click when automated

TrackDSPs :

Added an option to append instead of replace DSP chains when loading them. This can be configured by loading chains with options (right click a chain -> "Load with Options") or in the Im/Export Preferences

Groove Settings :

The global groove can now be switched on/off -> automated with the Pattern Command F400 -> Off, F401 -> On

Groove settings at high LPBs (> 8) will sound equal to their base factor LPBs. So when expanding a song from LPB 4 to LPB 8 or 16, the song will sound the same as with LPB 4.

Misc :

Added "Show Log file" and "Show Preferences folder" in the help menu so that you can easily find Log/Preferences files on your computer